Kanav Jain, a student from Broxburn, Scotland has been crowned UK Young Engineer of the Year for building a low-cost autonomous aircraft to deliver medicines to remote communities.
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Jain → crown → communities
His project titled 'AeroAid: autonomous VTOL quadplane' won at The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Competition held at The Big Bang Fair.
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project → title → Fair
According to a report by Plant & Works Engineering, Jain was inspired to help people in rural and remote regions where the delivery of essential emergency supplies is challenging due to a lack of reliable road access.
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delivery → accord → access
Using his passion for drones, he designed and developed a small, low-cost autonomous aircraft that can carry and deliver medicine and other essential supplies quickly and efficiently.
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that → use → medicine
He hopes that his invention will help provide critical humanitarian support and save millions of lives.
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invention → hop → lives
“It’s so surreal!
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It → ’ → ?
The moment they say your name you completely zone out…because of how much effort you put into it, and to see all of that come to life is really great!” he said upon winning.
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he → say → life
Jain entered the competition with support from Thales via a community group, First Step Robotics and is currently in S4.
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Jain → enter → S4
He designed a VTOL quadplane that combines helicopter hover capabilities with aeroplane cruise efficiency.
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that → design → efficiency
They use two separate propulsion systems to switch between vertical lift and forward flight.
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They → use → lift
The four vertical motors spin up to lift the aircraft straight up like a drone, without needing a runway.
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motors → spin → runway
Once at a safe altitude, the forward flight motor turns on.
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motor → turn → altitude
As the aircraft gains forward speed, air flows over the fixed wings to create lift.
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air → gain → lift
The wings fully support the aircraft's weight.
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wings → support → weight
The four vertical motors turn off to save battery power, allowing for high-speed, long-range travel.
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motors → turn → travel
Near the target, the forward motor slows down.
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motor → slow → target
The four vertical motors restart to hover and guide the aircraft to a precise, vertical touchdown.
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motors → restart → touchdown
They have better operational advantages than aircraft.
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They → have → aircraft
They can land in thick forests, deep valleys or even damaged disaster zones.
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They → land → forests
Their fixed wings use far less battery power than a standard multirotor drone.
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wings → fix → drone
And, if the forward engine fails, the quad motors can safely guide the aircraft to the ground.
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motors → fail → ground
UK's 'drone boy'
Jain is known across the United Kingdom as the 'drone boy'.
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Jain → know → boy
He has previously led workshops teaching the youth about drones.
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He → lead → drones
In August 2025, he held a free, interactive workshop in Glasgow, organised by the British Youth International College (BYITC).
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he → hold → College
“I started building drones when I was 10 just out of curiosity and that passion turned into a mission to use drones for good,” said Kanav, who gained his drone licence at 13 years of age and is known across the UK as ‘the drone boy’.
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who → start → boy
“I’m excited to show others how fun and impactful drone technology can be.
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technology → ’m → others
During the recent storms, I used mine to inspect the condition of our roof as well as to check those of our neighbours’.
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I → use → neighbours
Careers like drone piloting, earth observation, and structural inspection really show their value – and experiences like this inspire me, especially as I hope to work in robotics or automation in the future,” he added.
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he → show → future
He was also crowned the winner of the academic category at the BYITC Inspire Awards 2025.
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He → crown → Awards
James Mackay, Head of STEM, UK at Thales commented: “Congratulations to The Big Bang UK Young Engineer of the Year.
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Mackay → comment → Year
We were delighted to see the creativity and impressive STEM skills from all the finalists.
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We → delight → finalists
Kanav’s project really impressed the judges, along with his tenacity, dedication and drive.
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project → impress → tenacity
Supporting these future engineers is truly exciting for us at Thales.
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Supporting → support → Thales
The Competition is a great reminder that the next big breakthrough could come from anyone.
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breakthrough → come → anyone
We need many more young people to pursue STEM careers.
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people → need → careers
It’s been great to see so many students thinking about how they can innovate and create real-world solutions with engineering.
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they → see → engineering
The Big Bang Competition, run by EngineeringUK, is a national competition for young engineers, scientists and technologists aged 11 to 18.
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Competition → run → engineers
The top 3 winners each receive £1,000 prize money.
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winners → receive → money
Run by EngineeringUK, The Big Bang Fair is supported by organisations across the engineering and STEM sector including major supporter Rolls-Royce, easyJet, EDF Energy, Royal Aeronautical Society, The Wildlife Trust, University of Cambridge and V&A museum.
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Fair → support → Cambridge
The Aporia
